The growing economic burden of climate change is creating an urgent need for Bangladesh to invest in health-system resilience, as extreme heat, climate-sensitive diseases, unsafe water and natural disasters threaten livelihoods, productivity and essential healthcare services.
A new study says the country could mobilise $1.4 billion from domestic resources, development partners and international climate funds to address these risks over the next five years.
The proposed funding would support Bangladesh’s Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) for 2026-2031, which requires around Tk17,000 crore to prepare the health sector for the worsening effects of climate change, according to a study by BRAC University’s Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER).
Released on Saturday at BRAC Centre in Dhaka, the study outlines potential funding sources and investment priorities for implementing the plan. The proposed amounts are financing targets, not confirmed commitments.
Prof Iqbal Kabir, director of the Centre for Climate Change and Public Health, said the funding was necessary to implement the plan and mitigate the adverse health effects of climate change.
Ainun Nishat, emeritus professor at BRAC University and adviser to C3ER, said climate-related health risks needed to be integrated into development planning and financing.
He stressed that the HNAP should guide investments across health, water and infrastructure, supported by clearly defined ministerial responsibilities and budget allocations.
He also called for international adaptation finance, particularly grants, to support these efforts and protect vulnerable communities.
Domestic resources could cover 53% of needs
The study proposes raising $380 million from domestic public financing, $360 million through health-related investments in other sectors, $520 million from development partners and $140 million from international climate-finance channels.
Domestic funding could be mobilised through health-sector budgets, the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund.
Integrating climate resilience into public projects could help strengthen healthcare facilities, prepare the health workforce and protect medical supply chains against climate-related disruptions.
Cross-sector investments in drainage, sanitation, safe water and flood-resilient infrastructure could also reduce disease risks and help maintain access to healthcare, particularly in coastal areas.
Together, domestic financing and health-related investments in other sectors could account for about 53% of the plan’s funding requirements.
However, the study recommends transparent accounting mechanisms to identify spending directly attributable to climate-related health measures and prevent double-counting across funding sources.
Development partners, climate funds in focus
Development partners could provide $520 million, or around 37% of the total requirement, according to the study.
Potential opportunities include aligning programmes run by the World Bank, Unicef, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund with the HNAP’s priorities.
The proposed areas of support include climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure, disease surveillance, maternal and child health, nutrition and emergency preparedness.
Financing could take the form of concessional loans and programme support, subject to agreements with development partners and their existing commitments.
The study also identifies the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and Least Developed Countries Fund as potential sources of international climate finance.
Targeted proposals could seek support for disease early-warning systems, heat-health advisories, climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation measures in coastal and flood-prone communities.
Ahead of COP31, the roadmap could help Bangladesh present more specific investment proposals to development partners and climate-finance institutions.
The study particularly highlights the importance of grants for prevention and preparedness measures that protect public health but do not generate direct revenue.
Further project preparation would be needed to establish the amount of grant financing and co-financing available under the proposed $140 million target, while ensuring that funding sources do not overlap.
Four priorities account for 69% of investment
Four components account for $966 million, or 69% of the HNAP’s investment framework, the study says.
These include $350 million for resilient, low-carbon infrastructure, technologies and supply chains; $266 million for integrated risk monitoring, early-warning systems and emissions tracking; $210 million for a climate-smart health workforce; and $140 million for leadership and governance.
Proposed interventions include upgrading healthcare facilities exposed to flooding and coastal hazards, installing solar power systems and strengthening vaccine cold chains to keep essential services operational during disasters.
Integrating weather information with disease surveillance could improve outbreak preparedness, while specialised training would help healthcare workers respond more effectively to climate-related health risks.
Clear accountability needed to secure funding
The study recommends climate-risk assessments for new health-sector development projects and proposes establishing a dedicated taskforce within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to develop costed interventions.
It also calls for specific codes in the government’s iBAS++ accounting system to track climate-related health expenditure more effectively.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Economic Relations Division would coordinate development-partner financing and applications to climate funds, while the Planning Commission would support climate-health assessments and identify health-related contributions from investments in other sectors.
The study says identifying existing resources, securing financing commitments and preparing projects with clear timelines and measurable health outcomes would help turn the HNAP roadmap into funded programmes for climate-vulnerable communities.
Speakers at the launch said Bangladesh had significant opportunities to secure international funding for climate-related health risks but had struggled to mobilise such resources effectively.
They stressed the need for stronger coordination among government agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organisations, alongside blended financing to address challenges in the health sector.
They also called for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to receive training on climate-related health risks and for the subject to be incorporated into educational curricula.